EMPOWERMENT SUMMIT

COMEDIAN,

Margaret

The Student Center for Social Justice and Identity, or SCSJI, works to foster an environment of inclusion and multiculturalism by increasing students' and student organizations’ development around intercultural competence and social justice as well as promote co-curricular programming that celebrates and recognizes the various cultures of the Vanderbilt student body.

As one element of this mission, the SCSJI developed the annual Empowerment Summit, wherein the office collaborates with student organizations on campus to create a major event which highlights the wants and needs of our multicultural student body.

"On behalf of the Student Center for Social Justice and Identity, the Asian American Student Association, and the South Asian Cultural Exchange, we would like to welcome you to the 2nd annual Empowerment Summit. We would like to thank the many organizers and participants of this event, and acknowledge the work of our Conference Committee and volunteers for ensuring the success of the Summit. The Asian American Student Association and the South Asian Cultural Exchange are organizations dedicated to buidling community, increasing visibility, and storytelling.

"A Tale of Two Continents” was chosen as a theme this year to reflect our unique blend of cultures, identities, and perspectives. AASA, also proudly standing at the intersection, has had the privilege and responsibility to represent and create a safe, inclusive space for our community. We are honored to collaborate with the Student Center of Social Justice and Identity and South Asian Cultural Exchange to host the summit as a “cultural fest,” where one can comfortably explore the duality and convergence of our Asian and American experiences. We hope you learn something new about the Asian American Diaspora and bring home a deeper appreciation of your identity today."

- Nina Yao & Fiona Wu

"Vanderbilt’s South Asian Cultural Exchange is proud to partner with Vanderbilt’s Asian American Student Association and Student Center for Social Justice & Identity to host this year’s Empowerment Summit. As members of SACE, cultural diversity and appreciation are large parts of our shared South Asian heritage, and we hope that the workshops and speaker event presented at this conference will help shed light on what it means to be Asian American in the 21st century. Bridging the gap between two continents, we aim to help Asian Americans better understand themselves and the world around them, and for their peers to learn about our unique experiences as Asian Americans."

-Rohit Kataria, Lina Waseem, Lohitha Basa